Find Her Killer: Nancy Eagleson's 1960 Murder

Kidnapped, Assaulted and Murdered Walking Home From a Movie in 1960. Help us find justice for Nancy!

 

 

Hi, my name is Merrill, and I am fundraising to continue our pursuit of justice for my sister, Nancy Lee Eagleson. Nancy was just 14 when she was kidnapped and murdered in rural Ohio on November 13th, 1960 by an unknown person.

Evidence that was found during the original investigation has been missing for many years, It was supposedly stored in the old jail and it simply disappeared in 1985.

 

Because all the physical evidence was lost, we believe the only way to get answers is to do DNA testing on her remains. So, we have made the painful decision to exhume her body. The Porchlight Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Ohio will be helping to cover the costs of DNA testing and genetic genealogy.

But we still need to raise money for additional investigation costs, legal fees, and a memorial in Nancy's honor.

 

Our family has been devastated by the loss of Nancy. My father and mother passed away never knowing who killed their daughter. The case is still unsolved 61 years later!

 

Please donate what you can to help us find justice for Nancy!

 

Case Summary:

 

The day began as a typical Sunday for 14-year-old Nancy Eagleson. Nancy and her Aunt Mary attended church services just down the road from their house. The high school freshman carefully picked out a grey plaid suit to wear to the movie theatre which was just a few blocks away. She and her sister Sheryl, who was 5 at the time, left their house around 2 pm and made the half-mile walk to the theater. While they lived in the city limits, the path they took did not have sidewalks and was described as lonely and sparsely populated. At approximately 6 PM, after the double feature movie ended, the pair decided to get some sodas from a local restaurant.

 

The girls began their walk back home around 7:30 pm which, at that time of the year, would mean they were walking back in the evening with only streetlights to guide their way. At some point, the girls noticed a car was following them. Eventually, the car would stop and ask the girls if he could give them a ride home. Nancy, who is described as a very friendly girl, replied “No, thank you, we're almost there.” They were just 4-5 houses away from their home at this point.

 

The man then pulled his car over to the side of the road and he got out of the driver’s door and pulled Nancy into the backseat of the car. Sheryl jumped on his back as she knew something was not right. The man shrugged her off and drove away with Nancy. Sheryl got up off the ground and ran to the safety of a neighbor’s house saying that a man just kidnapped Nancy. Sheryl watched helplessly as the car sped off with Nancy. Sheryl was frantically pounding on their neighbor, Betty Larson’s door for help. All that was left behind was Nancy’s purse.

 

A frantic search for Nancy commenced at once. Despite law enforcement and the community’s efforts, Nancy’s body is found approximately five hours later at 1 AM by two raccoon hunters. Nancy had been sexually assaulted and then shot in the chin with a small-caliber weapon. with the bullet exiting her eye. Her body remained clothed except for her undergarments which were found a few feet away. Her body was abandoned about 7 miles from her home in a wooded, rural area near Junction, Ohio about 100 feet from the road.

 

Evidence that was taken from the crime scene in 1960:

• Bullet fragment from her skull

• Semen

• Her fingernails that were cut

• Purse and contents of the purse (letter and money)

• High heeled shoes,

• Dress with blood spatter

• Coat with blood spatter

• Scarf and necklace

• Bra and underwear

• Garter belt and pantyhose

• Hair taken from a tree branch from crime scene

 

 

 

 

Below is a timeline of the case:

• 11/13/1960 | 2:00 PM: Nancy and her sister leave home to see a movie

• 11/13/1960 | 6:00 PM: After the movie, the girls stopped for a soft drink before heading home

• 11/13/1960 |7:30 PM: Nancy and her sister begin their walk home. The girls notice that a car is following them

• 11/13/1960 |7:50 PM: The car stops to ask them if they would like a ride. Nancy is taken and Sheryl runs to the neighbor’s house for help as the car speeds off with Nancy

• 11/14/1960 | 1:00 AM: Nancy's body is found approximately five hours by two raccoon hunters

• 11/14/1960 | Gloria Kowalewicz is murdered 230 miles away

• 11/15/1960 | Robert Stovall is questioned about Nancy and Gloria's murders

• 11/16/1960 | Authorities declare the investigation "pretty well at a standstill"

• 11/18/1960 | Nancy is laid to rest

• 12/02/1960 | Virgil Johnson is cleared of involvement in Nancy's death

• 12/14/1960 | The reward fund reaches $5,000

• 12/16/1960 | The reward for information about Nancy's rape and murder is increased to $6,595

• 3/3/1961 | Thomas Ball cleared of Nancy Eagleson murder

• 1984/85 | Law enforcement confirms to the family that the physical evidence in the case was preserved. In subsequent years, the evidence is lost

• Oct 2013 |Article published regarding renovations at the former jail in Paulding having unearthed a women’s shoe which was later identified by Nancy’s mother as like the shoe her daughter was wearing the day, she was killed.

Learn more about her case here:

• View her visualized case and timeline here

• Listen to this 10-minute overview of the case here

 

 

This fundraiser is now being supported by The Porchlight Project. To learn more about the important work they do, go to their website